I tend to scrutinize the little things and I don't want that to overshadow this review. I'll point out the good and the bad here, even though I still strongly feel that I got a great deal on a fairly good hotel.
The location of the hotel is just remote enough to not be a pain to get to, but also just remote enough that you make serious considerations about if you're willing to spend a few extra dollars to eat in the hotel restaurant or go down the interstate 5 miles to the cluster of restaurants. The lobby area is very attractive and open. Though they could still do more to dress it up, I was still impressed. The staff was friendly and got me into my room with no hassle, even though I checked in early.
There are only two elevators servicing the whole hotel. While that isn't too much of a problem in slow times of day, it can be a huge pain if you're waiting for all 6 floors to relinquish the elevator to you while carrying 2-3 bags. The elevators are centrally located, which is fine, as long as you don't have to walk all the way to the end of the hall to get to your room. I realize that the Radisson didn't design this building, only upgraded it, so I don't blame them on this issue. I only include it so someone may consider requesting a room close to the elevator if they have walking problems.
There are many places where I could tell that either unskilled labor or a restricted budget did not allow the upgrades to this building to ascend to the three-star rating. I wouldn't mind looking at a new Radisson hotel to compare the differences. I won't list the details here, there are too many, but I'll suffice it to say that these flaws were noticeable and were the only reason for my downgrading my rating from a three-star to 2.5.
The room was pristine; the thermostat was simple to operate, as was the television. The bed was incredible, without a doubt, the finest I've slept on in any hotel. I was not just happy about the sleep-number bed (which is great in itself), but the sheets were comfortable and felt clean (I can't stand it when hotel sheets seem dirty even when I know they're clean - if that makes any sense). The white cotton comforter was icing on the cake (another peeve of mine is those cheap polyester drape-like comforters in other hotels).
The ice machines were out of order on three floors, a horrible nuisance to many guests. I saw one person who assumed the worst, after stopping on presumably all three of those floors, and went out to buy his own ice. The hot tub in the pool area is next on my list of complaints. While it may be true that this was a smaller body of hotter water, this was not a hot tub (or whirlpool, or whatever). There were no jets, just a normal pool-style circulatory system. Also, the adjacent bathrooms would do well to include showers for pool-goers. The exercise room was laughable, with only a treadmill and a couple of dumbbells. The hotel restaurant served food all day, but the continental breakfast is not complimentary, which I found surprising, and the prices are a bit too high for the quality of dining, that was expected, though.
I know this sounds like a terrible rant, and to some, the details I criticized might make or break their decision. If one can overlook the little things, the stay is quite nice. If I did not receive such a deal, I absolutely would not have stayed here at the normal rate. However, I do think it was worth what I paid. To others, it might even be worth the full price if just for the room, alone. After all, most guests probably just want a good bed for the night and the Radisson definitely has that.
My advice to the Radisson: step up and finish the "upgrade" to the building. Improve the pool and exercise areas, touch up the little details behind the facade, and you'll have a full-fledged three-star hotel worth your current asking price.